They Clash Once More! Ichigo Kurosaki vs Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez - Round Four
Kurosaki Grimmjow was scowling. He was not in the best of moods. He had recently lost to Nnoitra Jiruga in a rematch he had been sure he'd win. And then Diosa had arrived to save him. That same woman who had kept him alive so long ago. And now she was responsible for the blasted creature who was accompanying him. That very creature was..well not a creature at all. It was Aaroniero Arruruerie. Like Grimmjow before him, Diosa had restored Aarioniero to his former state, and sent them to the world of the living. It was night, and Aarioniero was using Kaien Shiba's guise, as he had during his battle with Rukia. At the same time, a much older Ichigo Kurosaki was taking a stroll in the night through the same area of the Human world. He enjoyed the breeze a lot, but tonight wasn't a night to just bum around; he was in his Shinigami form for a reason after all. He was hunting Hollows, and he sensed tremendous amounts of Hollow energy directly ahead of him. Grimmjow's frown changed the moment he picked up the scent of familiar spiritual pressure. "That energy! It's definitely him! That blasted Shinigami from before!" Without a word to his partner, sped off in Ichigo's direction, elated at the thought of being able to kill him after such a long time. Aaroniero merely shook his head. "He's not even obeying Diosa's orders.." He thought to himself before following quickly after. Ichigo stopped dead in his tracks when he felt the intense reiatsu from earlier speeding his way. Then, suddenly, he caught who exactly it was that was speeding towards him. "Grimmjow?!" he thought, loud in his mind. With one leap, he was airborne and heading towards Grimmjow with fierce speeds. "This time, we'll finish what we started." Ichigo whispered, as he neared his target. Grimmjow's maniacal grin crossed his countenance as he saw Ichigo headed his way. "Kurosaki!" He cried skidding to a stop. "Figures you'd be drawn to my power as much as I was drawn here to yours!" Ichigo managed a grin himself as he drew Zangetsu from it's place on his back. "I guess so. Come to think of it, your Espada friend interrupted the end of our last fight, didn't he? I hate not finishing what I begin." he explained, hinting at his growing desire to have a rematch with his old Arrancar rival. Aaroniero arrived at the exact moment of Grimmjow's response. "Friend? That bastard Nnoitra is far from a friend." His voice was ice, showing his recent loss with stuck in his mind. He kept a firm grip on Pantera, ready to take the first strike. "I would have killed him if I hadn't slipped up." "Well, he isn't around this time." Ichigo replied, leveling Zangetsu with Grimmjow's head. "And luckily for us, this human town is deserted so we can cut loose without any worries." Ichigo grinned at this, "I can finally show you how far ahead of you I've gotten." "Looking down on me again, Kurosaki?" Grimmjow let out a feral snarl. "Don't think I'm the same as I was back then!" He burst into a Sonido, large boom accompanying him as he shot at Ichigo, swinging Pantera down on the young Shinigami. Aaroniero frowned. "Why do I think I know where this is headed?" Rematch Number Four! Ichigo reached up and slammed Zangetsu into Grimmjow's sword, "Same to you, pal! You're about to see the improved Kurosaki Ichigo." he shouted. Soon, Zangetsu began to glow blue and Ichigo's spiritual pressure shot up. He then pushed back on Grimmjow's blade and grunted, "Getsuga Tenshō!" he declared, releasing the blast from point blank. In a split-second decision, Grimmjow used force to push back from Ichigo, minimizing the damaged to slight burns. That blasted energy technique still had a great deal of power behind it, it seemed.. Pushing off as soon as the residual energy had faded, Grimmjow swung his blade down, aiming for Ichigo's shoulder. Ichigo swung Zangetsu around to meet Grimmjow's blade, and then aimed a powerful kick for Grimmjow's midsection while the two of them were still locked in their sword duel, "C'mon Grimmjow...show me how strong you've gotten." Grimmjow winced only slightly, but the kick seemed to have done minimal damage due to the increased strength of his Hierro. Funneling Spiritual Pressure into his blade, he began to push Ichigo back, drawing his blade back and making quick and powerful strikes. It seemed, however, his attacks were not trying to make it to Ichigo. Grimmjow was attacking Zangetsu itself. Ichigo funneled Getsuga energy through his sword, enhancing it's cutting power greatly as he fought back by slashing and stabbing at his foe. "You'll have to do better than that!" he shouted. Grimmjow chuckled sinisterly, strengthening and quickening his attacks, the noise echoing throughout the quiet city. "You can't keep that up forever Kurosaki! I'll cut that blade in half!" Aarioneiro was watching this intently, a little too intently to an experienced observer. Ichigo pushed back, freeing himself from the blade lock. "We'll just see about that, Grimmjow." he said, putting his hand over his face. "Now I'll show you how well I've mastered my Hollowfication since our last match." he declared, ripping his mask into place. Then, in a tremendous burst of speed, he appeared behind Grimmjow, "Getsuga....Tenshō!" he declared in his Hollowfied voice, releasing a larger blue blast of energy from Zangetsu. Grimmjow's grin widened. "There it is! That damn mask!" He extended his hand, forming a large blue orb. "CERO!" He cried, firing a massive beam of blue energy at the oncoming Getsuga. Ichigo's Getsuga slammed into Grimmjow's Cero, struggling to get the upper hand in the struggle of energy beams. "Not gonna work Grimmjow! Your Cero may have changed color and gained some intensity, but it's no match for my Hollow-enhanced Getsuga!" he yelled in his Hollowfied voice, adding power to his energy wave. Grimmjow threw his sword into the air and extended his other hand, firing another Cero to supplement his first. "I told you, that won't work!" Ichigo declared, swirling his sword around in a circle and causing his Getsuga to follow in suit, thus creating a swirling mass of energy. "I've gained more control over Getsuga Tenshō since we last fought." He could tell the Shinigami was right. Breaking free from firing the Cero, Grimmjow shot down to the ground, the Getsuga flying over him as he caught his falling blade. He extended a hand, firing a massive amount of blue bala. Due to the immense amount of energy being fired, and their immense speed, the boy couldn't dodge them all. Ichigo swung Zangetsu in a huge arc, creating a Getsuga that was about the same length and width, colliding with a majority of the Bala. He then used the ensuing smoke and his Hollow-enhanced speed to close the distance between himself and Grimmjow. "Game over, Grimmjow!" he said, slashing for the Arrancar's chest. Grimmjow gasped as the sword cut into him and blood spurt out. As he feel however, he slammed his hand into the ground to keep from colliding with it. There was a look of absolute fury on the former Sexta Espada's face. He raised a hand up, and wordlessly fired a point-blank Cero. The blast found it's mark, slamming into Ichigo with great force. When the smoke cleared, Ichigo was still standing with his mask cracked and slight burn marks on his person. "Not bad, Grimmjow. Your Cero has more of a kick to it than I remember." he said, taking off his Hollow mask. Black energy outlined in red erupted from Zangetsu, "However, you're gonna need that Resurrección of yours in a moment. Bankai!" he roared, causing the black energy to erupt around him. When the blast cleared, he now wore a black, flared out robe. "Tensa Zangetsu!" he declared. His speed, having dramatically increased, made his next movement a complete blur as he aimed a faster and stronger slash for the Espada's midsection. Blood spurted out yet again Grimmjow's midsection was cut, nearly in two. But he still found the strength to grip his sword and utter it's release command. "Grind! PANTERA!" Blue energy erupted around him as he transformed. When the energy subsided, Grimmjow had entered his humanoid-cat-like Resurrección. He pointed his clawed hand at the Kurosaki. "Cero Oscuros." He said, firing a black Cero outlined in blue. Ichigo showed shock on his face as he blocked the blast, "This is Ulquiorra's attack!" he shouted. "But...it's noticeably weaker than his. I can win this!" Suddenly, Ichigo's black Getsuga erupted from his blade and clashed with the Cero Oscuras. Grimmjow extended his other hand, and fired a Cero, a normal one, but more than enough to add to it's power. Ichigo's mask then reappeared on his face, "You're getting boring, Grimmjow. Is Cero all you can use now? I'll say it one last time; it's not enough!" he declared, cutting Grimmjow's energy blast in two with his Hollow-enhanced Bankai Getsuga. "My Hollowfication has improved. I'm superior to even your released form now and you know it!" "You think just because your flimsy mask has gotten better you can beat me?" Grimmjow asked furiously. "It's nowhere near over, Ichigo Kurosaki!" Grimmjow charged at him, his clawed hand diving for Ichigo's mask.